This invention pertains to the art of food containers for perishable beverages, especially human breast milk, baby formula, nutritional supplements, and fruit juices. In particular, this invention relates to aseptic containers in which perishable beverages can be stored at ambient temperature, and from which perishable beverages can be served.
This invention was not developed in conjunction with any Federally-sponsored contract.
Not applicable.
The need to store, transport, and serve perishable beverages has been answered in part by several available well-known containers. However, many of these containers are not suitable for storage of human breast milk and baby formula.
One well-known package is the xe2x80x9cBrick Packxe2x80x9d by Tetra Laval Holding and Finance, S. A., of Pully, Switzerland. This aseptic package is commonly used for storage and serving of juice products and long-term storage milk. The package includes a coated paperboard outer carton, which is folded into a generally cubical or rectangular shape, and sealed with an internal coated foil liner. The package is sterilized prior to filling with the beverage, and then hermetically sealed. The product can then be stored at ambient temperature, and is served by inserting a pointed straw through an aperture provided in the carton paperboard. The straw punctures the inner foil seal, and allows for the beverage to be consumed via the straw. Some other variants of this package include a re-sealable pouring spout, but after the initial aseptic seal is broken, the remaining product contents must be refrigerated. Tetra Laval holds several U.S. patents to similar packages and related manufacturing methods, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,541 to Mogard; U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,432 to Carlson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,477 to Kaneko, et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,046 to Martin; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,107 to Anchor, et al. However, these packages are not particularly suitable for directly serving perishable beverages such as human breast milk to an infant, as infants are unable to drink from a straw. Alternatively, breast milk stored in such as package with a pouring spout is undesirable in that it requires a care giver to pour the liquid into another container, such as a baby bottle. This requires the care giver to keep on hand and/or travel with one or more clean serving containers, and to prepare the serving in an environment conducive to pouring. This excludes this scheme from use in moving vehicles, windy outdoors, crowded conditions, etc. It also provides an opportunity for the beverage to become contaminated by the unsterilized serving container or from the nearby environment. Finally, when the serving is completely consumed, the serving container generally must be kept for washing later.
Another common serving package for baby formula and breast milk is a bottle and liner system manufactured by Playtex Products, Inc., of Dover, Del. The Playtex bottle consists of a generally cylindrical holder, in which a plastic liner bag is placed and filled with liquid. In one variant, the liner bag top is stretched over the top of the holder. In another variant, the liner bag is provided with a semi-rigid ring around the top to facilitate installation of the bag in just one hand. In either case, a soft plastic nipple and retainer ring are installed over the top of the holder, forming a liquid-tight seal between the liner bag and the nipple. As the beverage is consumed by an infant, the liner bag collapses. This system, however, does not provide for sterile and aseptic storage of the breast milk, and thus requires refrigeration after being filled.
A similar system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,086 to Walker. In the Walker patent, a disposable plastic bag is disclosed which may be filled and sealed prior to consumption. When the serving is prepared, the contents of the bag are poured into another serving vessel, or the bag is dropped down into another vessel such as a baby bottle, and the top is cut off and stretched over the rim of the bottle. This system shares similar disadvantages as the Playtex system and as the paperboard containers discussed supra.
An alternative packaging solution was described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,705 to Stolper. The Stolper package includes a container, a valve arrangement, and a nipple for serving. The package is defined as two reservoirs, a storage portion and a dispensing portion. Pressure on the sides of the storage reservoir forces the beverage through the valve arrangement and into the dispensing reservoir, and the beverage in the dispensing portion may be consumed. Back flow from the dispensing portion into the storage reservoir is prevented, allowing a measured amount of the beverage to be dispensed and keeping the beverage in the storage reservoir from contamination. However, the complexity of this package may prohibit production at very low costs, and the need for pressure to cause distribution of the beverage is a disadvantage.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an aseptic package and method for manufacture of the package suitable for storage of perishable beverages such as breast milk. Further, there is a need in the art for this package to allow serving directly from the package to minimize the possibility of contamination of the contents, and the maximize the usefulness and convenience of the product. Additionally, there is a need in the art for this package to be realizable in materials which allow it to be disposable and affordable.
The present invention employs a disposable, aseptic package for storage and serving of perishable beverages, such as human breast milk. The package is generally cylindrical in shape. The top of the package is provided with a circular flange about the circumference of the package, such that the filled package can be dropped down into a cylindrical outer holder. The package is held with its top surface near the top of the holder by the flange. A dispensing assembly, such as a nipple assembly or straw assembly, is then mounted atop the holder. As the dispensing assembly is mounted on the holder, a penetrating conduit engages the top surface of the package and punctures it, thereby providing a via for the beverage to flow freely from the package to the dispensing assembly, such as through a nipple or through a straw.